


Unexpected

by steviejazz



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha OFC, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Beta Bucky Barnes, F/M, Female Alpha, Knotting, M/M, Male Omega, Marking, Mates, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Mutant Powers, Omega Steve Rogers, Protectiveness, Romance, Rutting, Scent Marking, Scenting, Smut, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-07-11 06:01:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7031968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviejazz/pseuds/steviejazz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one expected Kate Eldridge to present Alpha. Not only was she female- a rarer trait shared by Alpha's- she appeared overwhelmingly average. With average height, average weight, average intelligence, and most curiously, average temperament, she was known as the 'Beta girl with an Alpha scent.' Never aggressive or demanding, Kate was an enigma among her Alpha brethren. It is only when her secret is revealed that she finally begins to understand her status as Alpha.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Keeping her head down, Kate tugged the brim of her baseball cap lower over her eyes and quickly shuffled through the crowd of her exiting classmates. She pulled her knapsack higher on her shoulders before pushing her way through the cavernous hall to the bustling street. With eyes set on her chucks, she followed the familiar path home, eager to get away from the onslaught of scents around herself. As an unmated Alpha, she felt her sense of smell was getting more sensitive by the day; maybe it was evolution's way of saying 'get pregnant already.'

To that she slammed her front door closed and muttered "Fuck evolution," with a sigh of relief.

She flung her bag and cap to the floor, flattening her flaxen locks. With her first step, and intake of air, every hair stood up on the back of her neck. Someone else was in her apartment. She was relieved it wasn't an Alpha, but instead a Beta, but still felt unease and fear. Alpha or not, they were an intruder. Kate quietly opened her front closet and carefully grabbed the bat hidden within it. Kate was not the confrontational sort, nor did she have any sort of experience in fighting, but she felt the need to protect herself. She followed the scent silently, making sure to slowly put weight on her toes as she approached the living room's entry way. Mustering all her courage, she took a deep breath before quickly jumping into the living room.

"What do you want?" She shouted, in a batter's position, ready to take a swing at the intruder. However, there was no intruder to be seen. Her stance straightened and confusion covered her features, nothing was out of place, save an unknown suit jacket laying across her couch reeking of the unknown Beta's scent. Her eyes went wide, there was most definitely an intruder in her home.

A flush and the running sink from the bathroom behind her caused Kate to jump, and quickly ready herself to take a swing at whoever would come out that door.

When the sink stopped, Kate quickly readied herself, "Come on, you can do this. You can take him," the bat shaking in her quivering hands exposed her true feelings towards the situation at hand.

The door opened, revealing a middle-aged man with thinning hair in a white button down and tie. He raised his eyes to the Alpha woman standing before him. She was standing defensively, as if she were ready to strike, yet her eyes betrayed her, exposing her fear. "You're going to hit me with that?" He questioned, leaving space between them just in case she decided she did in fact have the courage to do so.

She looked hesitant, as if she were truly asking herself if she really wanted to fight this stranger. "What are you doing in my home?"

The man took her lack of attack as a 'no' and smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself," he approached her with his hand extended, "My name is Phil Coulson, and I'm the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." The look of confusion on Kate's face caused him to drop his hand and continue, "It stands for s-"

She shook her head at him, lessening her defensive stance a bit, "I know what it stands for. I also know it no longer exists."

"To the public eye, yes, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been disbanded. However, between you and me, S.H.I.E.L.D. has just been taken underground."

She was skeptical. "Why are you here then?"

He shrugged, "The world needs your help." Chills went down her spine, her grip on the bat now tightening and her stance becoming more rigid. "Or more specifically, Nick Fury needs your help."

"Now I know you're lying. Nick Fury is dead."

"Another thing you and I now know to not be true."

He seemed honest, but he broke into her home so she wasn't quick to trust him. "I want you out of my home, now."

"I'm sorry, Miss Eldridge, but I cannot leave until you agree to cooperate." He passed her, grabbing his jacket and pulling it back on.

She scoffed at the man's audacity, "You clearly believe you are above the law. You break into my home and expect me to go with you? No, no way."

"This is above you or me, Miss Eldridge. This is about saving the world, and we need your help to do that."

Her stance fell again, the bat hanging near her feet, "I don't know why you came to me to help you save the world, but I can assure you, you've got the wrong girl."

A smirk lifted Coulson's face, "I do in fact have the right person. You could save the world, Miss Eldridge."

"No I cannot. I'm a normal girl!"

The smirk widened at her feeble lie, "Now you and I both know that's not true."


	2. Chapter 2

Kate found herself holding onto her restraints for dear life as the helicopter began to descend. "Where the hell are we?" She shouted to Coulson in the co-pilot's chair.

"That's on a need to know basis." He replied, not even turning to look at her.

"And you don't think I need to know where I am?" This man was ridiculous, she decided.

"No," the chopper landed, and Kate quickly undid her restraints and jumped out of the craft. She stumbled, falling to the ground. She never was a fan of flying. The chopper remained running, though still grounded, as Coulson jumped out, helping Kate to her feet. "Now, go just over that hill and you'll find your mission." He shouted before turning back to board the helicopter.

"Wait!" She shouted. "You're just leaving me here?"

"Just over the hill!" He pointed ahead, ignoring her question, as the chopper took off the same way they came.

Kate stood and stared as she was left alone, the chopper becoming a mere dot in the fading sky. "I cannot believe this," she muttered under her breath. "That bastard comes into my house, guilt trips me, then just leaves me here?" She looked around for some kind of backup, only to see the rolling hills of what she could only assume to be somewhere in the Midwest. "Though I guess I could be anywhere since no one told me where the fuck I am!" She exclaimed, shouting to no one but the wind. Moments pass by as she tried to calm herself, the sky was getting darker by the minute and with no street lights in sight, she decided she better proceed over the hill to her 'mission.'

"Better have some fucking food," she muttered under her breath, pulling her pack to her back and approaching the hill Coulson had gestured to. With long strides made by short legs, Kate began to pant as she reached the top of the hill. "Man, I really need to start working out," she mumbled to herself, catching her breath. She then stood straight and found her destination. A farm. A goddamned, little-house-on-the-prairie-looking farm. "You have got to be kidding me." She looked around, trying to find some hidden camera. This all had to be some joke. Some scarily accurate joke, since Coulson was privy to her "special talents," but a joke nonetheless. When no hidden camera crew popped out, Kate sighed. The sky was nearly black now, meaning she better stop wasting time and approach the home before her white chucks wouldn't even be seen against the grass.

By the time she reached the front porch, the sky was completely black, the only light left being that provided by the trillions of stars and the bit of light peeking through the home's curtains. She tried to peak through the windows to see what awaited inside but could see practically nothing. With a sigh, she knocked on the door.

A pregnant Omega woman answered the door with a smile and stepped aside, "Come on in, I'm Laura, and you are?"

"Kate Eldridge." A man answered for her. She looked to the woman who nodded encouragingly, gesturing for her to leave the doorway for the living room. Kate took hesitant steps, quickly taking in her surroundings. She was taken aback by the quaint decor and children's toys that littered the home. She was even more taken aback that in this home sat the Avengers. 

A child sat in Black Widows lap, and another in Hawkeye's. Iron Man was dressed down in plaid and the Hulk was very not green. Even the newest addition, the Winter Soldier, stood off to the side in jeans alongside Captain America. They were all so casual, all too real and laid back in this little farmhouse.

"You called?" She gulped, overwhelmed by the powerful scents of the men and women surrounding her. 

"This is your secret weapon?" Tony Stark asked the man with the eye-patch; Nick Fury, she realized. "What's your middle name, sweetie?"

She was too shell shocked to be offended by his condescending tone. "Rosa," she replied quietly.

He was quick to type her name into his phone, pulling up every bit of information on her he could in a split second. He quickly enlarged the information to project in front of him. "No, no, boring, no, boring, no, no, no." He muttered, deleting page after page of bits and pieces of her life. "Okay," he sighs, giving up. "What gives? She's not a genius, she's not a murderer, she's not skilled in anyway-"

"Ouch," Kate mutters.

"No offense."

"Offense taken." She cuts her eyes to the billionaire Beta scrutinizing her.

"So what is she that makes her valuable?"

"How about a person?" Kate answers.

"She's a mutant." Fury speaks, now receiving Kate's glare.

Steve Rogers takes a step forward, "I'm sorry, a what?"

"A mutant. A person who has some form of mutation that usually gives them some unique characteristic," Bruce Banner pipes up, now completely intrigued by the quiet Alpha standing before him.

"Or in Kate's case, a special ability." Nick finishes, not once removing his eye from the glaring match Kate was holding him in. As the Alpha that once controlled the Avengers, Nick Fury did not bow down to a challenge, especially not when the challenger was a smaller Alpha mutant.

Tony's attentions were now caught as well, "A mutant, you say? Then why was there no S.H.I.E.L.D. file on her?" 

Kate was the first to blink in her staring match, but she quickly diverted her attention away from the people staring at her, instead choosing to look out the window to her side. She had never been very comfortable with being the center of attention.

"I've kept many secrets before, Stark. What makes you think I didn't keep any from S.H.I.E.L.D?" The man gestured to Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. The two shared a small but grateful smile before looking over to the Omega woman with expressions of what could only be described as unadulterated love. Kate could smell their scents all over the woman, clearly showing that the three were bonded and the children that occupied the space were theirs.

"How did you know?" Kate interrupted their familial moment. "I've been very careful," she declared turning to Fury.

"All it takes is one slip up," he shrugged. She looked to him, asking for clarification. "August 2008. You helped an unclaimed Omega girl going into heat get home safely?"

Kate blanched. She was just trying to help. The girl- no older than fifteen- was in the middle of a full coffee shop when she went into heat unexpectedly. She was just trying to keep any unwelcome Alpha's off her scent while she rushed home for safety.

"What can you do?" The voice of the Winter Soldier caught her attention. He was a Beta, something she found shocking based on his large stature and intimidating aura. What surprised her even more was that his scent was all over Steve- surprisingly an Omega. She raised a brow at this, Omega men were rare, just as rare as Alpha women, and the buff Captain America certainly didn't look the part to be an Omega, though she didn't really look the part to be an Alpha either.

The Beta raised a brow, clearly waiting for her to stop sizing him and his mate up and answer the question. 

"I'm Aerokinetic," she finally muttered, looking to the window again.

"What does that mean?" Steve looked to his Beta in confusion.

"She can manipulate air," Bruce said in awe.

The room was silent for a moment as everyone stared at her now with even more attentive eyes. She began to fidget under their stares, eager to escape their calculating glances.

"So you're an airbender?" Tony broke the silence.

Kate rolled her eyes as Clint scolded him, "Stark-"

"No, I am not an airbender," she sighed.

"I think you're an airbender," he smirked.

"I'm not the f-" she caught herself in the presence of children, "freaking Avatar, okay?"

"Okay, but I mean, it just seems like-"

"Stark, let it go," Rogers commanded. Kate was a bit surprised with this, he was an Omega after all, yet here he stood, the leader of the Avengers, with a voice far more assertive than any Omega she had ever known. "Why did you bring Miss Eldridge here, Fury?"

"Kate," Kate corrected.

Steve smiled to her a small but charming grin, and nodded, "Why did you bring Kate here?"

"Do you not think we can take out Ultron by ourselves?" Tony asked, no longer joking.

"The more help we can get, the better." Natasha said, earning a nod from her archer mate.

"Then why bring me in?" Kate asked. "I've got no skill in combat, I'm not a superhero, and I'm certainly not the only mutant you could've contacted. So why me?"

"Because," Fury began, looking at her resolutely. "In August 2008 you helped an unclaimed Omega going into heat get home safely by displacing the air around her, creating a shield so that not only could no one catch her scent, but so that no one would be able to touch her. You followed her for nearly 20 blocks out of your way just so that she could get home safely, even when you, an unmated Alpha, had caught her scent."

"I don't usually go for girls," she muttered a sorry excuse of a joke, looking at her feet to avoid Fury's penetrating stare.

"You are good, Eldridge. Not just good, but wholly good. Captain America good."

She looked at the man Fury mentioned, receiving an encouraging nod from him, which she oddly found comforting, despite not even really knowing the man. She turned to Fury, "So what do you want me to do?"

He smiled, "I want you to save the world."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am blown away by the positive feedback! This was just an idea in my head that wouldn't go away and I'm just so glad that people are enjoying it!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented, subscribed, bookmarked, or gave kudos to this story; your feedback means so much to me!
> 
> (Disclaimer: Anything familiar is owned by Marvel and Disney!)

Kate sat at the table, eyeing her now empty plate. The massive bodies around her had just spent her entire meal explaining the 'mission' Coulson had brought her to and honestly, she kind of hated him right now. 

No, she hated Fury.

No, she hated Stark.

"So you never stopped and thought, 'Hm, this might just be a bad idea?'" She was irritated, so irritated that she now found herself glaring at the haughty billionaire.

"The benefits far outweighed the consequences." He ground out through clenched teeth.

She scoffed, "Clearly not or I would not be here!" She took a deep breath, though not to calm herself, but to instead begin a rant about not wanting to be a superhero. "I don-" Her rant, however, was cut off by Steve.

"It no longer matters who is or isn't at fault, all that matters is that we work together to stop Ultron."

"Steve is right," Bucky spoke, supporting his mate. "No matter what bullheaded move Stark pulled," this earned the soldier a soft growl of frustration from the mentioned genius, "we've got to figure out how to stop him." 

"But how?" Kate asked, full of unease and fear.

"You take a stand," Fury declares, earning a long moment of silence from the people surrounding him. "Outwit the platinum bastard."

Natasha smirked, "Steve doesn't like that kind of talk."

"You know what, Romanov?" The super soldier trailed off in jest; clearly Kate had missed the joke.

"So what does he want?" Fury asks with little patience, then again, the world is literally ending.

"To become better, better than us. He keeps building bodies-"

"Person bodies." Tony adds.

"But why?" Her questions weren't as simple as they sounded.

"The human form is inefficient," Tony reasons. "Biologically speaking, we're outmoded, but he keeps coming back to it."

"When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed," Natasha spoke, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

"They don't need to be protected," Bruce spoke, staring at the image of a butterfly one of the kids had painted. "They need to evolve." 

Kate was silent because she wasn't quite sure what that meant; everyone else, however, was silent because they hoped they were wrong about what that meant.

"Ultron's going to evolve," Bruce delivered the fearful blow.

"How?" Fury prompted.

"Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?"

A quiet chaos ensued. Fury, Natasha, and Clint immediately began calling anyone and everyone, it seemed. Tony joined Bruce and began scrolling through information on his handheld with a furious pace. Steve turned to Bucky and leaned in close, joining foreheads, and the two began whispering to one another. All while Kate sat, completely clueless as to what was happening.

"I'm not getting anyone," Natasha spoke.

"Neither am I," Clint explained.

"Dammit," Tony muttered. "I can't get into her mainframe, I can't even access any cameras."

"Then that must be Ultron," Bucky concluded.

"Okay everyone, suit up," Steve ordered, and everyone listened, all rising to inevitably 'suit up.'

Steve Rogers may be an Omega, but Captain America was something else. Kate was sure that any Alpha that challenged the super soldier would lose.

"Romanov," Fury stopped the Alpha. "Get Eldridge a suit."

"I'm sorry, what?" Kate asked. "I get that you brought me here to help but you're just gonna throw me into the lion's den like that?"

"Yes."

"Right now?"

He nodded.

"Like, no training whatso-"

"Go, Eldridge."

The blonde hesitantly followed Natasha into a closet located just off the kitchen. It was small and full of thick coats, brooms, and shoe boxes. The super spy brushed aside a jacket and placed her hand against the blank wall, which immediately began to glow red underneath her palm before turning green, and revealing a lit-up keypad. She pressed a few numbers quickly- too quickly for Kate to even see- before the back wall of the closet opened up to reveal a sleek room lined with titanium. Following Natasha into the room, Kate was wide eyed. She spotted numerous weapons displayed along the walls above locked drawers that she could only assume held more weapons within them. 

"Here, this should fit," Natasha broke Kate's observation by handing her a folded black jumpsuit. She grabbed it by the shoulders and held it up, full length, against her torso. It looked to be made of spandex, but the material actually felt much thicker and sturdier than expected.

"Do you possibly have this in a bigger size? I think it's gonna be a little tight." Kate was far more skeptical than she lead on. She doubted she would be able to get in the thing on her own, and was sure if she did, she'd probably have to be cut out of it or have the jaws of life step in to remove it from her.

"That's the point. It's more aerodynamic that way," she spoke with a smirk, clearly amused. "What's your shoe size?"

"Nine." She replied just before catching the pair of boots Natasha threw at her.

"Go get changed, the bathroom is right there," Natasha spoke, leading her to a doorway before continuing on to change herself.

She went to open the door but thankfully heard a small shift in the bathroom before she could even try, indicating someone was already in there changing. She gave a polite knock and just a moment later, Steve, dressed in all his star spangled glory, stepped out. He looked at Kate and nodded before walking away. Just before Kate could enter the bathroom, Bucky exited, covered in his mate's scent.

She raised an eyebrow with the smallest of smirks and Bucky merely winked before following Steve.

Shaking her head she muttered, "At least someone is getting some."

When she closed the door she learned just how right she had been about the suit. 

It was tight.

Like, she-couldn't-wear-a-bra-because-she-needed-to-suppress-her-chest-just-to-fit-into-the-thing-tight, and her larger than average chest never went without a bra.

Like, if-she-had-known-she-would-be-catwoman-she-would-have-worn-a-thong-tight, because she was sure someone somewhere would still be able to see the lines of her underwear, regardless of the fact that they were marketed as invisible.

It took some aggressive pulling, but she finally managed to pull the zipper up enough to cover her almost obscene cleavage. She let out a breath and began to pull on the boots. She was relieved to discover that it was easy to move in the suit, despite it being about two sizes too small.

She gathered her clothing and shoved it all into her backpack before turning to the door. She hesitated in opening it.

Opening the door meant everyone would see her in this ridiculous get-up. More importantly, opening the door meant being a superhero, and that somehow was even scarier than wearing a suit that showed every last inch of your body, despite technically being covered.

She gave herself five seconds to collect herself before lifting her chin in fake confidence and strutted out the door to the living room.

The moment she entered the room Tony spotted her and began to whistle, "My, my, don't you lo-"

"Shut up, Stark." Kate spoke, cutting off his words but unable to remove the smirk from his face.

"I was gonna say you look nothing like Aa-"

"Don't care, just shut up."

Steve shook his head and went to grab his shield, "I'll take Natasha and Clint."

"And me," Bucky declared, Steve went to argue but the Beta looked at his Omega, his expression providing no room for Steve to argue.

"All right. Strictly recon, I'll hit the Nexus then I'll join you as soon as I can," Tony spoke, walking with the mates to the front door.

"If Ultron's really building a body-" Steve began

"Then he'll be more powerful than any of us, maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot."

"You know I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me." 

Fury approached the men, "I'll drop Banner off at the tower. Do you mind if I borrow Miss Hill?"

"She's all yours," Stark replied, "Apparently."

"What are you gonna do?" Steve questioned.

"I don't know, something dramatic, I hope." Fury spoke with a smirk before walking away. Just before he exited he turned to Steve, "Take the new girl with you."

Steve's expression showed he was just as hesitant as Kate was.

"I don't thin-" Steve began.

"That wasn't a suggestion, Captain." Fury's voice held no room for argument before he exited.

"Dead and still bossing us around," Tony shook his head and clapped Steve on the shoulder, "Good luck," he spoke sincerely. "Go get 'em, air bender!" Tony shouted, exiting.

"Thanks," Kate replied meekly, "I guess."

"Well boys," Natasha spoke as she and Clint broke away from their mate and approached Steve and Bucky, "let's go save the world."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking forever to update this! Basically, my life has been insane the last few months and I'm finally starting to get some stability- well, as much as a college senior can get. I don't know how often I'll update but I promise I haven't given up on this! Hopefully with the holidays coming up, I'll have a little more free time to devote to this!
> 
> Thank you so much for being patient! You're all the best and your kudos and comments mean the world to me!

Though she was securely strapped into her seat on the Avenger's jet, Kate felt extreme anxiety coursing through her veins. Her knuckles were white with how tight she gripped her restraints and her legs were jumping aggressively; she was itching to be on land once again.

"You okay there, doll?"

Kate's eyes immediately jerked to the person the intrusive voice belonged to. 

Bucky.

She nodded jerkily, and since the only sound she could vocalize at the current moment would be a scream, she remained mute. Her eyes darted around the confined space, trying to find something to focus on other than the super soldier that was staring at her.

"You sure?" He leaned closer to Kate and spoke softly, so no one else would hear if she decided to confide in him her true fears. However, his kind intent had a different effect on Kate. 

His proximity allowed her to finally detect his scent away from the others and Kate was ashamed to recognize that it was absolutely divine. He smelt of leather, metal, and a woodsy musk. It was the sort of combination that allowed for Kate to scent every note but combined it was wholly wonderful and wholly Bucky. She tended to be attracted to sweeter scents but there was something so inherently calming and grounding about his scent. 

Enthralled by his scent, Kate made eye contact with the winter soldier. She was no longer fidgeting or twitching, but instead sitting calmly and quietly. It was when she realized that she had calmed down that she also realized that she had been staring at him for far too long to be appropriate and he was now staring at her with a confused expression. 

"Yeah, sorry, I'm fine." She looked away. She could feel her face warm in embarrassment. She basically just ogled at this mated man who was simply trying to see if she was okay. To try and relieve the tension she offered, "Not a big fan of flying."

"I can tell." His tone was gentle and full of jest. He offered her a comforting smile for the two seconds she allowed herself to look at him before quickly looking away, trying not to stare him down again.

Cinnamon and alcohol flooded her senses; Natasha stood before her. "Here," she commanded, handing Kate a small earpiece. "This is how you will stay in constant communication with us. Lose it, we lose you, got it?" The alpha was small, but managed to make every action and word larger than life. Kate nodded, putting the small device in her ear.

"Cap, get ready for landing." Clint switched levers and knobs, steering the jet to hover over a building that looked to be made of only glass windows.

Bucky rose from his place and met Steve at the drop door. A silent exchange occurs, it's almost intimate enough that Kate turns away- almost. She takes them in, the questioning glance from Steve, the assertive smirk from Bucky, the responding argument brewing in Steve's eyes before Bucky whispers "Till the end of the line, punk," and jumps out of the jet, leaving Steve no room to argue.

For the small second that Steve stands there and sighs, a put-out grin on his lips, Kate discerns his scents. It was sweet like apple pie and warm like freshly laundered blankets. Her mouth almost salivated it was so wonderful.

As he too jumped down, following his mate, Kate's entire face flashed with embarrassment. She looked to her feet, ashamed. She needed to get herself- or more so her hormones- under control. She will not be one of the prehistoric alpha's the history channel likes to talk about so much- the type of savage beasts who act only on instinct and follow every weak urge they felt. No, she was above those barbaric neanderthals. She will not be losing control of herself around the super soldiers, even if it meant breathing out of her mouth just so she wouldn't inhale their incredible scents.

"Two minutes. Stay close." Steve's voice flooded the ear piece, taking Kate off guard and making her jump in her seat.

"You're a bit skittish, aren't you?" Clint asked from the pilots seat, earning a silent growl from Kate. He simply chuckled as he piloted the jet above water.

"Dr. Cho!" The team could hear the pained breathing of the woman as Bucky and Steve shuffled around, trying to help her. "He's uploading himself into the body."

"Where?" Kate knew they were talking about this 'Ultron' but was utterly confused as to what body they were talking about.

"The real power is inside the cradle. The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up." Kate did not like the sound of that. "You have to get the cradle to Stark." Kate had more questions than answers by this point.

"You guys copy that?" Steve's voice now addressed the team- or rather, Clint and Natasha for Kate was still trying her best not to have a panic attack mid-flight.

"We did." Clint replied.

Natasha stood at a screen across from Kate, "I got a private jet taking off across town. No manifest. That could be him."

"There, it's a truck from the lab. Right above you, Cap, on the loop by the bridge. It's them. You got three with the cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver."

"Negative," the omega ordered. "That truck crashes the gem could level the city. We need to draw out Ultron," and with that, the sound of pants and grunts were heard as the men apparently jumped on whatever truck Clint spoke about. Mechanical sounds and groans were heard before Steve exclaimed, "Well, he's definitely unhappy. We'll try and keep him that way, Buck-"

"You're both not a match for him, Cap."

Two grunts replied, "Thanks, Barton," Bucky muttered.

The ride immediately became rockier, jerking left and right, twisting and turning as Clint directed the jet lower to the ground and weaved through buildings.

Kate was immediately concerned when she heard the confrontation of Steve, Bucky and what she assumed was Ultron. The wind was loud and metal on metal clashes echoed in her ears, making it difficult to picture what was actually happening down there.

Natasha was now opening the giant compartment before her to reveal a sleek motorbike. She took a calming breath before looking to Kate, "Come on, Newbie. Time to earn your stripes."

Kate squeaked but unbuckled herself from her seat and slowly approached the bike. She had never been on a motorcycle before and had never really planned on being on one. Her father went through a phase during his mid-life crises where he bought a motorcycle- really it was a glorified dirt bike- and it pissed her mother off royally. Her dad got into one tiny crash- little to no injuries- and the thing was gone the next day.

"We got a window. Four, three" Clint began counting down.

"Get on, now!" Natasha ordered, and Kate did what she was told, fearing what might happen if she disobeyed the redhead. She mounted the bike and tightened her grip around her waist.

"Give em' hell." Clint lowered the plan, opened the hatch and the motorbike fell to the road. The comm system was flooded with Kate's scream as they fell to the earth. 

When Kate finally stopped screaming Natasha asked "Are you done?"

"No, I-" Kate screamed over the wind.

"Get yourself together, Eldridge!" Clint proclaimed in her earpiece. 

"Just hold on and enjoy the ride," Natasha advised before dramatically weaving throughout traffic. Kate wanted to reply with a snarky comment but instead restrained herself, shutting her eyes and burying her head in the woman's shoulder. "I'm always picking up after you boys." As the bike began to tilt more than usual Kate squeaked again, hearing a chuckle from who she assumed was Bucky over the comm system. "Here, hold this," she passed the shield to Kate who took it, confused.

"They're heading under the overpass, I've got no shot." 

"Which way?"

"Hard right." Kate looked up when no turn was taken. Big mistake. "Now." Natasha did so, while Kate witnessed they were two inches away from being struck by the neighboring car due to the hard right. Even worse, the motorbike became airborne before weaving through a small alley filled with people.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" Kate screamed.

Natasha simply chuckled, "Trust me, if I was trying to kill you, you'd know it." They were now speeding through an alley that ended by meeting a busy roadway. "Hold on."

"What, wh-" Kate screamed, again. Natasha made the bike take a hard tilt and turn, soaring under the very truck Steve and Bucky stood on, fighting Ultron. 

"Kate!" Bucky yelled. "The shield!" She faltered, but tossed the shield up to Bucky, who caught it effortlessly before sending it sailing straight into Ultron's hand, causing him to lose his grip on Steve's neck and dropping him, straight to the road below. "Steve!" Bucky screamed in panic.

Kate's hands immediately shot up and Steve was pushed back to his feet on top of the truck with a gush of wind.

With a swipe of his hand, Ultron made a rather sizable piece of the road levitate before them. Natasha immediately hit the brakes which caused the bike to be thrown forward, moving on only the front wheel. Again, Kate screamed. This was terrifying for a completely inexperienced superhero after all. They landed with a bounce before Natasha turned the bike on its wheels and followed the truck.

Two of Ultron's minions appeared from the open truck and began shooting at Natasha and Kate. "Can you divert their shots?" Natasha yelled to Kate.

"I-I-I think so!" Kate stammered.

"Can you or can you not?" Natasha screamed, impatient. Tilting the bike every second to avoid their shot.

"Uh-"

"Nevermind," Natasha was frustrated, and Kate immediately felt awful. She took a hard turn and began to ascend on a crowded staircase, causing Kate to hold on tighter. "Out of the way! Coming through! Sorry, coming through!"

Kate diverted her attention to Steve and Bucky. Ultron gave one particularly nasty shot to Bucky, who took it with his metal arm, but was sent flying backwards off the truck. Again, she held her hand out and sent him back to his feet with a gust of wind, before ever coming in contact with the road below him. He immediately looked to Kate, nodded, then went back to fighting along side his mate.

"Clint, can you draw out the guards?" Natasha questioned.

"Let's find out," he replied.

"Beep, beep." Down the stairs Natasha and a panicking Kate went.

Bullets began hurling at the truck, gaining the attention of Ultron's henchmen. The two immediately soared away from the truck and began to trail Clint in the jet. Natasha veered down a road with traffic coming at them, but continued to swerve past each oncoming car, much to Kate's distaste. She gained speed, before finally getting closer to the truck. 

Bucky sent Ultron flying into a concrete column. Angered, Ultron soared forward, grabbing Steve round the waist and sending the crashing into a nearby train. Bucky immediately followed, leaving the truck unmanned. 

"Heading back towards you so whatever you're going to do, do it now." Clint spoke. 

"We're going in. Cap, Barnes, can you keep him occupied?" Natasha pulled closer to the truck.

"What do you think we've been doing?" Steve panted.

"Can you get us in there?" Natasha asked, not seeming bothered by the truck we were about to crash into if she didn't move.

"I don-" 

"Do it, now!" With a flick of her wrist, Natasha and Kate were thrust into the moving truck just before the bike went crashing into the nearby truck.

The two women rolled to their feet- Natasha much more gracefully than Kate- before spotting the glowing chamber before them. It was filled with a strange humanoid figure. 

"The guards are back!" Kate proclaimed as Natasha began frantically trying to shut the machine down.

"I know. Look up there, see if there's anything to unplug or something. We have to shut this thing down!" Kate immediately did what she was told. She searched around before the truck's bed began to lift from the ground. Kate threw herself onto the chamber, holding on for dear life as Natasha began tumbling down towards the open back. Kate threw her hand up, creating an invisible barrier of air, preventing Natasha from falling to her death. 

As the bed began to level out the women stood straight once again. "Thanks." Natasha muttered before getting back to work.

"Okay, package is airborne." Clint states.

"Yeah, no shit." Kate mutters.

"I have a clean shot."

"Negative, we are still in the truck."

"What the hell are yo-"

"Just be ready. I'm sending the package to you." Natasha looked to Kate. "I need you to make sure this thing get's to Clint, you got that?" 

Kate wasn't sure what that entailed but nodded. She could sense this wasn't the time to ask questions, even though she desperately wanted to.

"How do you want me to take it?" Clint asked.

"Hold on." She commanded Kate who immediately grabbed climbed onto the chamber and held on for dear life. "You might wish you hadn't asked that." With that, she began to cut away the machines restraints holding it in place.

"We lost him, he's heading your way!" Steve shouted over the comm.

"Nat, we gotta go," Clint proclaimed, lining the open hatch of the jet along with the open back of the truck bed. 

"Remember, hold on and get us there." Natasha reminded Kate before she cut the last restraint and placed what Kate could only assume was a bomb along the back wall.

Kate mustered all her power and energy to make the chamber sore forward into the open jet. The landing was rocky, but Kate was proud to keep it airborne. This sort of air manipulation was almost like flight, and Kate did not do well with that.

As the truck exploded Clint exclaimed, "Nat!" Kate turned quickly to see Ultron pull Natasha out of the jet. Kate tried to create a barrier, tried to push her back into the jet, but quickly lost sight of her.

"Cap, Barnes, do you see Nat?" The Beta sounded frantic.

"If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!" It wasn't Steve talking, but instead Captain America. 

"Do you have eyes on Nat?" He wouldn't leave without his mate.

"Go!"

"We'll find her, just go!" Bucky grunted.

Clint let out a frustrated yell but did as commanded. His knuckles were white as he held tightly onto the steering wheel. A storm was raging within the archer.

The silence was deafening as they headed back to Stark. Kate immediately took a seat and looked around, trying to think of something to say to ease the tension.

"I think i'm over my fear of flying now," Kate offered but Clint remained silent. Nothing would lift his spirits except the safe return of his alpha.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten quite a few questions about how the ABO dynamics work for this story so I thought I'd give a quick run down here:
> 
> -On a global level, about 25% of people are Alpha, 50% Beta, and 25% Omega. Of Alphas, about 80% are male, 20% female and of Omegas about 80% are female and 20% are male. Beta's are and even split.  
> -Relationships tend to be A/B/O, A/B, A/O, B/B, or B/O (there's always those who don't follow the 'norm,' it's just their relationships cannot produce offspring, which is the driving factor to mate)  
> -Alpha's go into rut and Omegas go into heat about once every three months for about three days (this can vary, but that's the general rule of thumb). After a pair or trio mate, they eventually sync up and one's heat or rut will incite the others'. One can conceive not during their mating cycle, but one is much more fertile during their heat/rut.  
> -Mating cycle's replace menstrual cycles in this world.  
> -Birth control has advanced enough so that all A/B/O can take it. It's 98% effective when utilized properly, however during cycles it is only 80% effective.  
> -Scent suppressants are currently in development, but are not yet available to the public.  
> -Scent's are unique to every person, however Alpha scents and Omega scents tend to be stronger than Beta scents.  
> -Anatomy is still based on gender and not biological status. Men impregnate, women get pregnant. During their heat/rut, males develop knots which help to insure pregnancy. Male Omega's do produce lubrication to receive a male's knot (or toy knot if not with a male) during their heat.  
> -One's heat/rut can be gotten through with toys or with a beta partner, but it can take longer and will be more frustrating/painful/tiring.  
> -There's little to no stigma towards homosexuality/bisexuality/polyamory (there's always a small group of homophobic people in the world, but they're trash anyway)  
> -Finding one's mate(s) has been described as somewhat involuntary. Not every Omega scent will attract every Alpha, and visa versa. The more pleasing their scent is, the more likely one is to pursue that person. It's biology's way of saying they are compatible.  
> -To officially mate- marriage on all but paper- is usually a very intimate moment between all involved parties where marking- or biting- occurs. Alpha's mark their Beta and/or Omega on their scent gland (located on the left side of the neck), Beta's mark their Alpha and/or Omega on their bonding gland (located on the right side of the neck) and Omega's mark their Alpha and/or Beta on the scent glands. Essentially, if one's mark cannot be seen, other's will know their mated by their scent. Their scent will still be distinctive, but they will be covered in their mate's scent.  
> -People mate for life. When mated, the pair or trio only crave their partner(s). If their mate(s) die, they can find romantic companionship (not mating though) in others, but it is rare. Widowed mates tend to grieve their lost mate too much to pursue another.  
> -Biological status does tend to influence personality/behavior. Alpha's tend to be more aggressive and dominant, Beta's tend to be more easy-going, and Omega's tend to be more submissive. However, this is not always true and status has nothing to do with value.  
> -The world has mostly evolved from an "alpha-means-superior-and-omega-means-inferior" attitude to a more equality-friendly attitude. Every Alpha, Beta, and Omega are provided the same rights and opportunities as the next. (Again, there are "traditionalists" who believe that Alpha's are the boss and Omega's place is in the home but they are also trash)
> 
> Okay, I hope I answered everyone's questions regarding the A/B/O dynamics of this story! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos! And a special thank you to justsayrae who's comments always make me smile and super inspired to produce another chapter!
> 
> (Disclaimer: anything you recognize is owned by Marvel and Disney!)

Kate sat off to the side in Stark's lab. She kept her eyes low and tried to take up as little space as possible. She was terrified she would touch something she wasn't supposed to or would gain Stark's attention and then have to deal with his airbender bullshit once again.

"Stark, come in. Stark" Steve sounded over the comm system. "Anyone on comms?"

Kate perked up. Clint had immediately abandoned his earpiece the moment they got to the lab to go and try to contact Natasha while Bruce and Stark were too busy focusing on the cradle situated in the center of the room to listen in.

"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?" A strongly accented voice could be heard in the distance through Kate's earpiece.

"I'm here," Kate finally responded, trying to keep her voice low so not to draw attention.

"Kate?" Steve replied.

"Yeah, it's me," an awkward moment of silence passed. "What's up?" Kate draws out uncomfortably. 

A breath of a chuckle- the timbre of his voice made her believe it belonged to Bucky- could be heard through her earpiece before Steve responded, "What's the status of the cradle?"

"Well, it's here some lab with Stark and Bruce looking over it now."

"What exactly are they doing, Kate?"

"I don't know- hold on- let me go listen in for a second." She rose from her spot and approached the men, silent enough to not gain any of their attention.

With a press of a button, Stark had made a holographic atom-looking-thing appear for Bruce to marvel at. "He didn't even know he was in there until I pieced him together."

"So, you want me to help you put Jarvis into this thing?" Bruce responded.

Kate took a few steps back to her corner, "I have no idea what they're talking about. Stark wants to put Jervis or something into the thing in the cradle?" Kate questioned.

"Shit." Bucky deadpanned.

"Kate, listen to me, I need you to stop Stark from what he's doing. We're on our way to the lab." His tone held the power of a true Alpha.

"How the hell am I supposed to stop him?" she replied, incredulously.

"All you have to do is stall him, at least until we get there. We're almost there now."

"Okay, okay, I can do this." Kate spoke to herself, taking a deep breath before approaching the two scientists who were now running around the cradle.

"Yes, you can."

"Shit. You weren't supposed to hear that." This time both Steve and Bucky chuckled. Kate put the earpiece aside and approached the men. "Okay, whatever you're doing, you need to stop."

Both beta men ignored her, continuously working over their masterpiece.

"Guys, please stop! Steve said you shouldn't be doing this!"

They continued to tap away on screens and adjusting plugs as if she wasn't standing before them.

Moving around the cradle, Bruce called to Stark, "You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes."

"I said stop!" Kate yelled, and the men did, looking up at her, shocked. Kate too felt shock. She had known what "alpha voice" was, even had seen it been used once or twice by teachers to stop elementary school fights, but she had never been able to tap into it before.

Steve, Bucky, and two unidentified Betas stood at the labs entrance, stuck in their places and looking to Kate. It appears her command had halted them in their tracks as well. She quickly gestured to Steve, telling him to take it away, before taking a few steps back from the center of the room.

Steve nodded his thanks and turned to Stark, "I'm gonna say this once."

"How about none-ce?" Stark snapped, making Bucky step forward with a silent growl, ready to defend his omega.

"Shut it down!"

"Nope, not gonna happen."

Steve held Bucky back, "You don't know what you're doing."

"And you do?" Bruce stepped in, making Bucky try and step forward again but Steve prevented his scowling mate from doing any damage. "She's not in your head?" He gestured to the female Beta.

"I know you're angry," her accent was heavy.

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

Kate's eyes widened in shock as the silver-headed beta let out a warning growl; he was obviously protective of the woman but they were not mated.

"Banner, after everything that's happened-"

Stark cut Steve off "It's nothing compared to what's coming!"

"You don't know what's in there." The girl spoke with venom in her voice.

"This isn't a game!" Steve exclaimed. Another warning growl from Bucky was sounded before, in a literal flash of silver, every plug was unplugged and the machine shut down. The beta was now on the other side of the room, in less than a seconds time, with windswept hair and the last plug in his hand.

"No, no. Go on." His accent matched the woman's as he dropped the plug to the ground. "You were saying?" 

A gunshot rang throughout the lab- making Kate fall to the ground and cover her head- and the silver-headed man immediately fell through the glass floor.

"Pietro!" The girl screamed.

Beeping alarms began going off in the lab. "I'm rerouting the upload." Stark turned to get to work as Steve and Bucky rose from the ground- Bucky had covered his Omega quickly at the sound of the gunshot. Steve immediately pushed Bucky back and threw his shield, having it bounce back and forth throughout the lab, destroying expensive equipment. In a flash, Stark had his Iron Man hand armor on and shot a pulse of light at Steve, sending him to his back.

Bucky went into action immediately, charging at Stark as the man suited up. 

"Go ahead, piss me off." Bruce had grabbed the girl and held her captive as sounds of metal on metal- Bucky's arm vs. Stark's suit- filled the space.

Kate rushed to Steve and helped him up. "Are you okay?" She questioned, looked him over frantically for any injuries. She was terrified to fight, but even more so to have to fight the people supposed to be on her side.

"I'm fine," he ran to join the fight with Bucky but Stark shot at him once again, sending him soaring back. Kate had enough sense to raise her hands and displace the air to block Steve from going through the glass door. He faltered to right himself but then immediately joined the fight. Kate stood before the cradle, completely unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, a golden haired Alpha man- who a shell-shocked Kate realized was Thor- entered the room, wielding a hammer. With a mighty jump he landed on top of the cradle. Ignoring the fighting surrounding him, he lifted his hammer to the sky and began absorbing visible jolts of lightning.

The fighting immediately stopped, "Wait!" Bruce screamed, but Thor ignored him, and directed the electricity to the cradle below.

Bursts of light and wind filled the room as the machines began to come to life. Thor poured all his power into the cradle, so much so it was beginning to overload. Suddenly, Thor stopped and stood.

It was very quiet in the lab in that moment. Heavy breathing was the only sound that filled the room as everyone stared at the cradle, waiting for something to happen.

They didn't have to wait long. The cradle seemed to explode, sending Thor and Kate back in a gust of energy. Kate tried to create a barrier before her to protect her from the glass as she was sent backwards, but her panicked state prevented her from doing so. Several pieces of glass embedded in her hands and she landed on her back, hard, though thankfully didn't injure her head.

She gasped in pain, turning her head just enough to see a red humanoid being rising from the cradle to a crouching position. It looked around, taking it's surroundings in and making eye contact with every person in the room before charging at Thor in flight. Thor pushed it away, sending it flying through the glass walls before halting right before the final glass panel. It simply hovered there, looking at the city in the nighttime.

Bucky and Steve rushed to Kate, "Are you okay?" Steve asked, genuinely concerned as they each grabbed an elbow of hers and helped her get to her feet.

She was struggling to stay standing but the mates thankfully held onto her, dashing looks between each other, Kate, and the strange red being. "Yeah, it's just my hands," she was shaking everywhere as she stared at the damage before her.

"Go, I'll help her." Bucky told Steve who looked to Kate then to his mate before nodding and jumping into action with his shield, following Thor towards the being. "Here, just lean on me." He pulled Kate into his chest, allowing her to rest her body weight against him.

Even through all her pain, all her confusion, all her overwhelmed senses, Kate couldn't help but focus on how warm he felt and how amazing he smelt, especially when his scent combined with Steve's. She needed to focus on the task at hand, which meant she needed to get away from him. She began to push herself off him with her shoulder, careful to keep her hands from him, "I can stand by mys-" as soon as she said that she began to fall to her feet once more.

"Woah, woah" he caught her under her elbows once more, "Just let me help you, okay, doll?" She made the mistake of looking him in the eyes when he spoke to her. She nodded, completely sure that she looked like an idiot, and he smiled.

Everyone began to gather around the red man, who now clothed himself in a deep green suit. Bucky began to lead Kate towards the medical area but Kate held out her arm, stopping him. The red man began to speak, "I am sorry. That was odd." His voice was melodic but he held no scent. "Thank you," he directed to Thor, blinked, then created a cape, just like Thor's.

"Thor," Steve began, "You helped create this?"

"I've had a vision." He responded. "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center is that." Thor pointed to the stone embedded in the red man's head.

Bruce stepped forward, "What? The gem?"

"It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities."

That didn't sound too good to Kate, and it didn't seem to either for Steve, "Then why would you bring-"

"Because Stark is right."

Kate scoffed and Bruce muttered, "Oh, it's definitely the end times."

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron."

"Not alone." The red man added.

"Why does your Vision sound like Jarvis?" Steve asked.

"We reconfigured Jarvis's matrix to create something new," Stark answered.

"I think I've had my fill of new."

The Vision responded, stepping towards Steve making Bucky tense up behind Kate, "You think I'm a child of Ultron."

"You're not?"

"I'm not Ultron. I am not Jarvis. I am," he paused, thinking, "I am." 

"I looked in your head and saw annihilation." The girl spat.

"Look again."

Clint scoffed, "Her seal of approval means jack to me."

"Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side-"

"Is it?" Steve asked Thor before turning to Vision. "Are you?"

All were silent, looking to Vision for his answer. Kate's hands began to sting, the shock wearing off and the pain beginning to come, but she couldn't leave the room just yet, and she knew it would kill Bucky to leave his mate before knowing if Vision was a threat or not to him.

"I don't think it's that simple." Again, Bucky tensed up, not enjoying being so far from Steve.

"Well, it better get real simple, real soon," Clint supplied.

"I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't. He will end it all."

Stark asks, "What's he waiting for?"

"You."

"Where?" Bruce interjects.

Clint answers, "Sokovia. He's got Nat there, too." He was pacing back and forth, itching to go rescue his mate.

"If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be-"

"What will you do?" Vision replied, but Bruce left the threat unspoken. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth. So, he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others. Maybe I am a monster, I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So, there may be no way to make you trust me, but we need to go," and with that Vision held Thor's hammer out to the demigod making everyone's face drop in surprise.

"Holy shit," Kate muttered, voicing what she was sure was everyone's thoughts. She had not been privy to their challenge of lifting his hammer just days before, but she did know all about Thor and Mjölnir and how only Thor, the son of Odin, was worthy to yield it. 

Thor took the hammer with confusion, collected and collected himself. "Right, well done." He patted Stark on the back and walked away.

"Three minutes." Steve asserted. "Get what you need."

Bucky immediately ushered Kate to the medical area and began to work over her hands quickly. "Hold out your hands," he told her as he kneeled before her, "this is gonna have to be quick and it's going to hurt."

Kate nodded and looked away, focusing on anything but the pain of having shards of glass being ripped from her hands.

"How's she doing, Buck?" Steve was in leader mode as he walked over to medical area.

"She'll be alright. Not too many shards got her, but they definitely went deep," with the last- and most certainly the deepest- shard being eased out of her skin, Kate hissed. "Sorry, Doll." He offered a charming smile.

Kate pulled her face into the best smile she could muster, though she was sure it looked nothing like happiness. He began to clean her hands with alcohol, again making her hiss and bite down on her bottom lip. Steve stepped forward at this time and put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, trying to be reassuring. Kate offered him the same terrible smile and squeezed her eyes shut and looked down. She could feel tears leaking from the corners of her eyes but in this position, her hair shielded her from their view.

Bucky was quickly wrapping her hands in gauze when she was finally able to open her eyes. She looked up through her blonde locks to see him looking at her. "Thank you," she whispered.

Bucky finished and with a blank expression stated, "You're welcome, doll." 

Kate began to feel awkward, Steve too was staring at her with a blank expression. "Woah," she let out a loud side and began to laugh in discomfort. "That did not feel great," she chuckled, using her exposed wrist to try and wipe away her tears. "Alright, let's go, right?"

"If you don't feel up to it-" Bucky began.

"No, no, really, I'm fine!" Kate rose to her feet, stumbled a bit but thankfully both men grabbed a hip and steadied her. She took a few trial steps forward, gaining her ground, before turning back to them with a smile on her face. "See, I'm all good, let's go!"

Steve stepped towards her with a contemplative look on his face before reaching up and wiping away a missed tear resting against her jaw. His baby blue eyes made contact with her deep blue eyes for just a moment, before he stepped around her. 

"Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? Life's been rough and busy and I'm so sorry for keep you waiting but I promise- just as I have done before- I'm not giving up on this. I'm so close to graduation, (and then on to my Master's in the fall) I can taste it. Point is: summer will hopefully be more productive and I love you and appreciate your patience.
> 
> On another note- despite me having no need whatsoever- I've been thinking about doing another polyamorous-mates-Avengers story in the future (because I'm predictable human garbage who despite being extraordinarily monogamous in real life, has a thing for multiple hot fictional superheroes) but I would love your opinion. It would most likely be another soulmate thing (again- predictable human garbage) but I'm thinking with a super normal woman. The full story has not been fleshed out in my mind yet, but basically I'm trying to gauge if you all would be receptive to another poly Avengers/OC story or if you would like me to not be human garbage and broaden my horizons.
> 
> Thank you all! Your comments and kudos give me life!

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for, but the people of Sokovia: they didn't."

Kate knew that if this were a movie, ominous music would be playing in the background as Steve gave his pep talk. The moment where their team was down three points and had only seconds left on the clock. This was a motivational speech, meant to incite a fire under their asses.

Kate's ass still wanted to bolt, but her feet- and not fully conquered fear of flying- kept her motionless in the Quinjet, listening to the Omega's every word.

"So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace and that's not going to happen today, but we can do our best to protect them and we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanov, and clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters; that we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him, it's about whether he's right."

There was silence in the craft, but a resolute agreement to fight until every last Sokovian was safe and Ultron was defeated. Even Kate, who was still somewhat in the dark about what was transpiring, found herself nodding at Steve, pledging herself to the cause. She was terrified- that much was still true- but that did not mean she had to be a coward.

She was a self-pledged Gryffindor, after all.

The jet landed with fluidity. It was time. She wasn't prepared, but then again, she didn't think she would ever be prepared to walk into battle.

"Wanda, clear the residential area on the north side of the city, Pietro, get downtown. That's where all the schools, police stations, and stores are. You're the fastest, so I need you to clear the area quickly. Bruce, I need you to find Romano-" Steve was cut off with a growl by the Black Widow's mate.

"Cap," He spoke on the end of a growl, reigning himself in. "You cannot expect me to ignore my mate."

"Barton, I _know_." His eyes betrayed his stiff posture revealing a look of sympathy and anguish that Kate did not fully understand, but certainly felt the weight of it's meaning. "I know this is difficult, but I need you to clear the western border of the city. We need to keep the Hulk contained."

Clint mumbled a growl of distaste, flexed and clenched his hands, and stood, nodding with a frown fixed on his face.

"Thank you," Steve bowed his head gratefully. "Stark, you find the mine. You find it, you find Ultron. Stall him with everything you've got. Buck and I will take the bridge: it's the only exit point for the city so it's going to be crammed. We'll have to work efficiently to get every across."

Everyone around Kate nodded at their orders, beginning to rise to action. "What about me?"

They all paused to look at the quiet Alpha in the corner with a shadow of surprise on their faces.

"Oh, you're still here?" Tony questioned.

Kate's brows immediately rose. "Wow, okay, cool. Good to know I'm forgetful. Sweet."

"You're just so quiet. Like air almost."

"Oh ha ha, real funn-"

"That's enough." Steve shut it down. "Kate, you can-" he paused, quickly looking to her hands then back to her eyes.

"Take the sky." Bucky answered, sharing a look and a nod with Steve in agreement.

"What? No, no, no, no, no. I manipulate air. I do not fly." She immediately protested. "Can't I just help Clint or Wanda or Pietro clear the city?"

"Levitation, flying, to-may-to, to-ma-to, it's all the same." Tony waved her off. "Besides, you haven't been very fast on your feet. You'd just slow them down."

"Okay, ouch." She muttered. He was right, but that didn't mean he needed to just say it out loud.

"Listen, doll," Bucky approached her, put his hands on her shoulders, and looked her in the eye. "You can do this. You've done it before right? With the cradle?"

She pursed her lips- holding her breath- and nodded. He smiled and opened his mouth to continue before she blurted "But that was for like two seconds and in real life I'm never hovering over an entire city-"

He put his hand over her mouth, silencing her and forcing her to now breathe through her nose, inhaling his scent. Yet again, like before their first trip in the jet to retrieve the cradle, his unique aroma calmed her almost instantly. Kate had a strange feeling that he knew covering her mouth would do just that. He was sharp- too sharp- and that irked Kate that he was manipulating her with his damn scent.

"Flying, it's just moving the air around you. You're good at that." His stupid blue-grey eyes were the calm before the storm. "I was new to this once too." Yes, as a super soldier with decades of combat experience. "You," she swore he was a fraction of an inch closer, pushing his somehow calming pheromones in her direction. "can do this."

He stepped back. Now that he was no longer touching her, Kate realized the spaces where he touched her were tingling, shooting pleasant vibrations down her spine.

"We have faith in you." If Steve were lying, his voice and body language gave nothing away.

Eyes wide, she nodded. "Okay." She paused than whispered 'okay' a few times to herself. "Let's go," she looked to Steve.

The Captain gave a fraction of a smile and nodded, "Let's go."

The Avengers all turned and exited the jet, Kate following but putting distance between herself and their proactive steps. Once they were out of earshot she had herself a quick moment to expel her pent up energy accompanied by aggressive movements and angry utterances: in other words, a tantrum.

She stomped her feet in anger. She was not the overly romantic type and the fact that she could so easily be affected by some Beta and his _mated_ Omega royally pissed her off. Punctuating each word with a jump she muttered, "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid."

"You okay there, Kate?" Bucky's voice broke through her ear piece.

Her tantrum immediately ceased, her face blanching. She forgot about the headpiece.

"Yep, I'm good. Going to save the world now, okay, bye." Her voice was high and speedy in embarrassment. She quickly shuffled out of the craft.

"You know, pink really is your color, Airbender." Tony, now suited in his full regalia, started for the sky.

"Bite me, Stark." She mumbled.

Before Stark could reply, Steve commanded, "Enough. We've got a job to do. Now do it."

Feeling shame, like she just pissed off Mommy, Kate decided not to stall. Steve wanted her to take the sky, so she would take the sky, dammit. With shaky hands, she pushed herself inches above the ground before she stalled. To get above the city meant a lot of concentration and energy, and Kate was untrained how exactly to control those things efficiently. Minor bursts of wind, low levitation, small shields created by the displacement of air: these were the things she could do as easy as blinking. Anything more was a stretch.

She closed her eyes, her fists clenching and toes pointing, before inhaling deeply. On the exhale she shifted the air below her feet to push her up, sending her soaring into the air. The wind rushed through her hair far too quickly and she began to panic, letting out silent screams. Her eyes opened wide to see the entire city below her feet. The people- running, driving, evacuating the city- all looked smaller than ants. "Oh god," she whispered, her breath becoming labored and her heart beating erratically in her chest.

She was too high. The air was too cold. There was nothing to catch her should she fall, and with that realization, she did just that.

She began to fall. Fast.

The rush of air as she plummeted to the ground robbed her of her screams. Her arms were flailing, reaching out for nothing. She tried to concentrate, tried to stop herself mid-air, but she couldn't fully focus on saving herself. Her fear was all consuming. 

How could Fury force her into the field with no training? She had been fooling herself: she had no idea how to control her powers. She was too young, too inexperienced, too- 

" **Kate! Focus!** "

Steve.

She stopped. Mid-air, level with the tallest Sokovian building, she just stopped.

"You can do this," his authoritative voice turned smooth in her ear piece as he repeated Bucky's earlier sentiment. Steve watched her frozen figure in the air. Her body rigid, he could see and hear her body shake with panic. "You're okay and you can do this." She was calming but she certainly was not okay. "I need you to check the buildings for stray civilians. Can you do that?" He asked, never taking his eyes off her as he once again began to usher traffic across the bridge. No response. "Kate!"

She blinked, putting an end to her catatonic state. She re-directed her eyes from the sky to the city. She spotted the red, white, and blue man among the cars instantly. She didn't have the enhanced vision that he did, so she could not make out his face, but she nodded, knowing he could make out hers.

"Good. _You can do this._ " He repeated one last time before focusing on his task at hand.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. 

She followed this pattern before extending her hands to her sides, using them to control the air around her. With a hesitant push, Kate moved closer to the nearest building. Her movement stuttered, not at all fluid or graceful, but she got close enough to circle the building, surveying every window.

No one was left inside the building, and with this realization she exhaled. Pietro had done his job far better and quicker than she could.

She moved onto the next building, and then the next and the next. Each time she found nothing but empty rooms.

It wasn't until her fifth or sixth building that she found two people huddled in the corner of an apartment building.

It looked to be a mother cradling her son to her chest. He was no older than ten with brown hair, big eyes and sneakers. She thought of her younger brother and her heart clenched. Furrowing her brow, she raised her hand toward the window. With a gush of air she was able to break through the barrier, however focusing on this caused her to lose her grasp of levitation and she fell a few feet before righting herself and stopping. With bated breath, she rose to the window and entered the room.

She was gasping by the time she touched the floor, flooded with relief. "Hi," she tried to offer a comforting smile. "My name is Kate and I need to get you out of Sokovia."

They looked confused and began shaking their heads. She sighed in frustration, "You don't understand, the city is not safe. You have to leave!" No change in their response. "Look: you have to leave if you wave to save your son!"

The Omega woman shook her head, her entire body was shaking as she griped her child, "No english" her voice was shaky with fear, but Kate understood.

She let out another shaky breath before approaching them, and crouching down to their level. She pointed at herself "I help," then began to make a walking motion with two fingers, "leave Sokovia." Kate held out her hands; if she were being honest, she had no idea if she could help levitate two other people to the ground. But she had to try.

The mother was hesitant, but her eyes showed she understood. She looked down to her trembling son, then back to Kate's hands and nodded. She had to save her child.

Kate helped them up and led them to the window. She was shaking, but neither of her charges noticed because they too were quivering with fright. At the windows edge, she took a deep breath before turning to the two behind her. She lifted her hand and covered her eyes before gesturing for them to follow her actions. They were scared, but they nodded, closing their eyes.

Kate leaned down and picked the boy up underneath his arms. He wrapped his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist in a death grip, then she pulled the mother close so she could wrap her arms on top of her sons' around her neck. Kate grabbed her by the waist, said a quick and silent prayer, before pushing them out of the window and into the sky. She took her time, focusing intently on lowering themselves to the ground slowly. She was just inches from the ground, landing on the bridge near Steve and Bucky, when the ground began to shake.

The Omega, the child and Kate's knees all buckled sending them to the ground. Kate immediately looked to Steve who had grabbed Bucky's arm keeping them both standing as the ground somehow began to _lift_ from the ground, right where the Omega and her child were trying to stand.

The ground was fast rising and they were going to fall, possibly being crushed by the land masses' debris. 

Kate immediately grabbed the mother's arm, who held tightly to her Son. She tried to pull them up but the land beneath her torso began to crumble, nearly sending her too over the edge before someone grabbed her roughly by the ankle, stopping their fall. The Omega cried in relief as Kate watched the ground below them get farther and farther away. She looked over her shoulder to see Bucky- being held in place by his Mate's arms around his waist- pulling them all up from the ledge.

Bucky treated Kate almost like a rope, pulling her up by passing each surfacing body part onto his mate. Bucky passed Steve her ankle, then his hands rose to her knees, then her hips, then her waist before wrapping around her torso and pulling the Alpha, Omega, and child to the ground. The moment the Omega and her son hit the ground, they ran far away from the bridge's edge, muttering to each other as the bolted.

Bucky righted himself as Kate was circled in his arms with her back to his chest. She was panting. Her arms hurt from holding up the Omega and her son's combined weight. Everywhere Bucky had grabbed her was on fire from the strength of his metal arm yanking her to the surface. 

"Kate?" Steve's voice held concern as her stood before her, hands on her shoulders. "Kate?" He pushed her chin up to make her look into his eyes. "Are you alright?"

She was tired, sore, terrified. 

But she was alive. 

And she had helped save two people.

A smile- a real genuine smile touched her lips- even after multiple near-death experiences. "I helped saved their lives."

The look of worry on Steve's face vanished as he and Bucky shared an incredulous chuckle.

"Yes, you did." Steve was proud. Genuinely proud. It didn't just show through his eyes, but Kate could sense it. Could feel it. Could scent it. He was proud of her. She looked back at Bucky who was smiling down at her, his pheromones revealing he was just as proud as Steve.

She looked back and forth between them both, all three smiling at one another. Their scents were nearly suffocating her- in the best way possible. They were so warm. Bucky's chest against her back and his arm around her waist just felt right.

And then she realized where she was. She looked around them to see the wreckage of a once booming city. As they rose in the air, the buildings began to fall. She felt sick. She allowed herself to get wrapped up in her admiration for two mated men as a city is literally destroyed around them.

She pushed herself away from the men- desperate to get a gasp of fresh air so their scents were no longer encompassing her. She looked over the edge. They had to be at least a couple dozen feet in the air by now.

Kate steeled herself, began breathing through her lips, and turned "What now, Captain?" Before he could respond, Kate caught the image of a silver man- no android- hovering hundreds of feet in the air above Sokovia. The men followed her eyes, and their faces locked in anger.

"Ultron." Steve muttered.

"Do you see the beauty of it?" The voice of Ultron was deep, with an almost rasp. It was a voice, Kate feared, she might never forget. "The inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift, terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure." A smaller- but no less threatening- silver android charged toward the trio at the land's edge. Kate stiffened, having no hand-to-hand combat experience and absolutely no weapons on her person but Steve quickly punched the metal being and pushed it over the edge without even turning his glance from Ultron. "Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me, it means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

"We have to protect the people from these things." Bucky exclaimed to his mate.

Steve nodded before looking back to Kate, "You ready to fight, kid?"

Kate's head fell to the side- so quick it was almost comedic- "Let's do it, old man."


End file.
